80-694: Adolfo Suárez UCD Adolfo Suárez UCD The 1979 Spanish general election was held on Thursday, 1 March 1979, to elect the 1st Cortes Generales of the Kingdom of Spain . All 350 seats in the Congress of Deputies were up for election, as well as all 208 seats in the Senate . This was the first election held under the Spanish Constitution of 1978 . The Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) remained
160-534: A federation , even though in many respects the country can be compared to countries which are undeniably federal. The unique resulting system is referred to as "Autonomous state", or more precisely "State of Autonomies". With the implementation of the Autonomous Communities, Spain went from being one of the most centralized countries in the OECD to being one of the most decentralized; in particular, it has been
240-553: A "Statute of Autonomy" during the Second Spanish Republic (1931–1936). Otherwise, the constitution required the approval of three-fourths of the municipalities involved whose population would be at least the majority of the electoral census of each province, and required the ratification through a referendum with the affirmative vote of the absolute majority of the electoral census of each province (that is, of all registered citizens, not only of those who would vote). While
320-456: A co-official language in Catalonia, making it the only autonomous community whose name has three official variants (Spanish: Cataluña , Catalan: Catalunya , Occitan: Catalonha ). PP (Since July 2024) PP (Since July 2024) PP (Since July 2024) PP (Since July 2024) PP (Since July 2024) RA: Regionally Appointed DE: Directly Elected DE: Directly Elected Spain
400-675: A federal system in all but name, or a "federation without federalism". The official names of the autonomous communities can be in Spanish only (which applies to the majority of them), in the co-official language in the community only (as in the Valencian Community and the Balearic Islands), or in both Spanish and the co-official language (as in the Basque Country, Navarre and Galicia). Since 2006, Occitan —in its Aranese dialect —is also
480-560: A member of Opus Dei , and obtained a doctorate at the Central University of Madrid . He also worked briefly as a porter at Madrid's Atocha railway station . In 1958, Suárez became the personal secretary of Fernando Herrero Tejedor, the newly appointed civil governor of Ávila. When Tejedor was made deputy secretary-general of the Movimiento Nacional in 1961, Suárez became his chef de cabinet . He gradually rose through
560-552: A particularly difficult move). He led the Union of the Democratic Centre and won the 1977 general election . In 1981, he resigned and founded the party Democratic and Social Centre (CDS), which was elected to the Cortes numerous times. He retired from politics in 1991 and from public life in 2003, due to Alzheimer's disease . Adolfo Suárez González was born on 25 September 1932 in Cebreros in
640-516: A prime minister within a two-month period from the first ballot. Barred this exception, there was no constitutional requirement for simultaneous elections for the Congress and the Senate. Still, as of 2024 there has been no precedent of separate elections taking place under the 1978 Constitution. The Spanish Cortes were officially dissolved on 1 January 1979 after the publication of the dissolution decree in
720-409: A provisional period of 5 years, after which they could assume further powers, upon negotiation with the central government. However, the constitution did not explicitly establish an institutional framework for these communities. They could have established a parliamentary system like the "historical nationalities", or they could have not assumed any legislative powers and simply established mechanisms for
800-484: A result of the aforementioned allocation, each Congress multi-member constituency was entitled to the following seats: For the Senate, 208 seats were elected using an open list partial block voting system , with electors voting for individual candidates instead of parties. In constituencies electing four seats, electors could vote for up to three candidates; in those with two or three seats, for up to two candidates; and for one candidate in single-member districts. Each of
880-515: A uniform decentralization of entities with the same powers and an asymmetrical structure that would distinguish the nationalities. Peripheral nationalist parties wanted a multinational state with a federal or confederal model, whereas the governing Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) and the People's Alliance (AP) wanted minimum decentralization; the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE)
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#1732883562871960-685: A variety of local customs, laws, languages and currencies until the mid 19th century. From the 18th century onwards, the Bourbon kings and the government tried to establish a more centralized regime. Leading figures of the Spanish Enlightenment advocated for the building of a Spanish nation beyond the internal territorial boundaries. This culminated in 1833, when Spain was divided into 49 (now 50) provinces , which served mostly as transmission belts for policies developed in Madrid. Spanish history since
1040-555: Is a diverse country made up of several different regions with varying economic and social structures, as well as different languages and historical, political and cultural traditions. While the entire Spanish territory was united under one crown in 1479, this was not a process of national homogenization or amalgamation. The constituent territories—be they crowns, kingdoms, principalities or dominions—retained much of their former institutional existence, including limited legislative, judicial or fiscal autonomy. These territories also exhibited
1120-482: Is vested in the nation as a whole, represented in the central institutions of government, the nation has, to varying degrees, devolved power to the communities. This unique framework of territorial administration has been labeled by the Constitutional Court as the "State of Autonomous Communities", to avoid implying either a unitary or federal model. Some scholars have referred to the resulting system as
1200-618: The Democratic and Social Centre (Centro Democrático y Social, CDS) party, which never achieved the success of UCD, though Suárez and its party were important elements in the Liberal International , joining it in 1988, leading to it being renamed Liberal and Progressive International , and Suárez became President of the Liberal International in 1988. He retired from active politics in 1991, for personal reasons. In 1981, Suárez
1280-620: The Generalitat , Catalonia's mediaeval institution of government, was restored. The constitution of 1931 envisaged a territorial division for all Spain in "autonomous regions", which was never fully attained—only Catalonia , the Basque Country and Galicia had approved " Statutes of Autonomy "—the process being thwarted by the Spanish Civil War that broke out in 1936, and the victory of the rebel Nationalist forces under Francisco Franco . During General Franco's dictatorial regime , centralism
1360-513: The Movimiento while Suárez was appointed deputy secretary-general. Herrero Tejedor was considered a likely candidate for prime minister until his death in a car accident in June. In December, shortly after Francisco Franco 's death, Suárez was promoted to secretary-general by prime minister Carlos Arias Navarro , and became a member of Arias's cabinet. In the same year, he also became a founding member of
1440-616: The Official State Gazette (BOE), setting the election date for 1 March and scheduling for both chambers to reconvene on 23 March (for the Congress) and 27 March (for the Senate). The electoral law allowed for parties and federations registered in the interior ministry , coalitions and groupings of electors to present lists of candidates. Parties and federations intending to form a coalition ahead of an election were required to inform
1520-584: The Province of Ávila of Spain, the eldest son of Hipólito Suárez Guerra, a lawyer, and Herminia González Prados. Both of his parents supported the Republicans during the Spanish Civil War . At the age of 18, Suárez was president of the Ávila chapter of Catholic Action . He studied law at the University of Salamanca , after which he took a job at the municipal government of Ávila in 1955. He subsequently became
1600-583: The Senate , having the ability to vote confidence in or withdraw it from a prime minister and to override Senate vetoes by an absolute majority of votes. Nonetheless, the Senate possessed a few exclusive (yet limited in number) functions—such as its role in constitutional amendment —which were not subject to the Congress' override. Voting for the Cortes Generales was on the basis of universal suffrage , which comprised all nationals over 18 years of age and in full enjoyment of their political rights. For
1680-460: The Spanish People's Union ( Unión del Pueblo Español , UDPE). In July 1976, King Juan Carlos requested the resignation of Arias. The relatively obscure Suárez was chosen as the new Prime Minister of Spain , surprising many observers. At the age of 43, he was Spain's youngest prime minister in the 20th century. Due to his Francoist ties, Suárez enjoyed the trust of the political right, while
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#17328835628711760-455: The "nationalities". After a massive rally in support of autonomy, a referendum was organized for Andalusia to attain autonomy through the strict requirements of article 151, or the "fast route"—with UCD calling for abstention, and the main party in opposition in Parliament, the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) calling for a vote in favour. These requirements were not met, as in one of
1840-479: The "norm", was established in article 143. This route could be taken—via the first transitory disposition—by the "pre-autonomic regimes" that had been constituted in 1978, while the constitution was still being drafted, if approved by two-thirds of all municipalities involved whose population would sum up to at least the majority of the electoral census of each province or insular territory. These communities would assume limited powers ( Spanish : competencias ) during
1920-557: The "pre-autonomic regime" of Castile and León—were granted autonomy as single provinces with historical identity, a move supported by the majority of their populations. The "autonomic pacts" give both Cantabria and La Rioja the option of being incorporated into Castile and León in the future, and required that the Statutes of Autonomy of all three communities include such a provision. León, a historical kingdom and historical region of Spain, once joined to Old Castile to form Castile and León,
2000-403: The 1979 elections under the new constitution. Suárez's political power eroded as he struggled to deal with economic recession, mounting violent activity by ETA , calls for further regional autonomy and divisions within his own party. He became increasingly withdrawn from governance, partly due to a chronic dental condition. He survived a motion of no confidence presented by Felipe González and
2080-724: The 47 peninsular provinces was allocated four seats, whereas for insular provinces, such as the Balearic and Canary Islands , districts were the islands themselves, with the larger— Majorca , Gran Canaria and Tenerife —being allocated three seats each, and the smaller— Menorca , Ibiza – Formentera , Fuerteventura , La Gomera , El Hierro , Lanzarote and La Palma —one each. Ceuta and Melilla elected two seats each. Additionally, autonomous communities could appoint at least one senator each and were entitled to one additional senator per each million inhabitants. The law also provided for by-elections to fill Senate seats vacated up to two years into
2160-460: The Canary Islands in that, although they took the "slow route", through the subsequent approval of specific organic laws, they were to assume full autonomy in less than 5 years, since they had started a process towards the "fast route" prior to the approval of the "autonomic pacts". On the other hand, Cantabria and La Rioja, although originally part of Old Castile —and both originally included in
2240-408: The Congress of Deputies, 348 seats were elected using the D'Hondt method and a closed list proportional representation , with an electoral threshold of three percent of valid votes—which included blank ballots—being applied in each constituency. Seats were allocated to constituencies, corresponding to the provinces of Spain . Each constituency was entitled to an initial minimum of two seats, with
2320-502: The Constitution not setting a mandatory legislative chamber framework, all autonomous communities have chosen unicameralism . All such governments have legislative and executive branches of government but not judicial. The Spanish model is generally considered by foreign political scientists and scholars as "a federal system with certain peculiarities". However it is also described as a decentralised unitary country. While sovereignty
2400-680: The Lord for the eternal rest of this esteemed and feature figure of the recent history of Spain." On 26 March 2014, the Spanish government decided to rename the Madrid-Barajas Airport to Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport in honour of his service to the country. Suárez married María del Amparo Illana Elórtegui in 1961. She died from cancer on 17 May 2001. Their eldest daughter, María del Amparo ("Mariam") Suárez Illana (1962–2004), died of breast cancer on 6 March 2004, following an 11-year illness. Both of her younger sisters also suffered from
2480-608: The PSOE and the PCE were both legalised, trade unions were recognised, and the Movimiento was abolished. The legalisation of the PCE in particular provoked fury in the Spanish military; Suárez responded by sacking hardliners and promoting more liberal officers such as Manuel Gutiérrez Mellado . On 15 June, Suárez led the Union of the Democratic Centre ( Unión de Centro Democrático , UCD) to victory in Spain's first free elections in 41 years , and became
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2560-618: The PSOE in May 1980. In January 1981, trailing in the polls behind the PSOE and faced with a revolt within the UCD, Suárez announced his resignation as prime minister. A month later, as parliament took the vote to confirm Suárez's successor Leopoldo Calvo-Sotelo , Lieutenant-Colonel Antonio Tejero and around 200 Civil Guards stormed the chamber in an attempted coup and held the lawmakers hostage for some 22 hours. Suárez, along with two other parliamentarians, exhibited defiance by remaining calmly seated during
2640-399: The Parliament approved an amendment to the law that regulated referendums, and used a prerogative of article 144c of the constitution, both actions which combined would allow Andalusia to take the fast route. They also agreed that no other region would take the "fast route", but that all regions would establish a parliamentary system with all institutions of government. This opened a phase that
2720-617: The above criteria, in that the Spanish Parliament could: The constitution also established two "routes" to accede to autonomy. The "fast route" or "fast track", also called the "exception", was established in article 151, and was implicitly reserved for the three "historical nationalities" — Catalonia , the Basque Country and Galicia , regions with strong regional identities —in that the very strict requirements to opt for this route were waived for those territories that had approved
2800-493: The administration of the powers they were granted. The constitution also explicitly established that the institutional framework for these communities would be a parliamentary system , with a Legislative Assembly elected by universal suffrage , a cabinet or "council of government", a president of such a council, elected by the Assembly, and a High Court of Justice. They were also granted a maximum level of devolved powers. While
2880-457: The approval of the Spanish Parliament, which would exercise its prerogatives to grant autonomy to other entities besides provinces. However one aspect of this asymmetry in powers between regions is a cause of friction, namely that the Basque-speaking areas ( Basque Country and Navarra ) can raise their own taxes and negotiate a transfer to Madrid to pay for common services and hence, unlike
2960-463: The autonomous communities were created, Article 145 prohibits the "federation of autonomous communities". This was understood as any agreement between communities that would produce an alteration to the political and territorial equilibrium that would cause a confrontation between different blocks of communities, an action incompatible with the principle of solidarity and the unity of the nation. The so-called "additional" and "transitory" dispositions of
3040-589: The basis for a new, bicameral parliament , was passed by a huge majority in the Francoist Cortes in November 1976 and overwhelmingly approved by a referendum in December. Suárez managed to placate the conservative military officers, while also reaching out to Felipe González 's Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) and later, Santiago Carrillo 's Communist Party of Spain (PCE). Between February and April 1977,
3120-710: The celebration of the 30th anniversary of the first democratic elections, King Juan Carlos appointed Suárez the 1,193rd Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece . He was also a member of the Club de Madrid, an independent organization (based in Madrid) that is composed of more than 80 former democratic Prime Ministers and Presidents. The group works to strengthen democratic governance and leadership. On 31 May 2005, Suárez's son, Adolfo Suárez Illana , announced on Spanish television that his father
3200-446: The cities of Ceuta and Melilla were constituted as "autonomous cities" without legislative powers, but with an autonomous assembly not subordinated to any other province or community. The creation of the autonomous communities was a diverse process, that started with the constitution, was normalized with the autonomic pacts and was completed with the Statutes of Autonomy. It is, however, an ongoing process; further devolution—or even
3280-412: The constitution allowed for some exceptions to the above-mentioned framework. In terms of territorial organization, the fifth transitory disposition established that the cities of Ceuta and Melilla , Spanish exclaves located on the northern coast of Africa, could be constituted as "autonomous communities" if the absolute majority of the members of their city councils would agree on such a motion, and with
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3360-455: The constitution did not establish how many autonomous communities were to be created, on 31 July 1981, Leopoldo Calvo-Sotelo , then the prime minister of Spain and Felipe González , leader of the opposition in Parliament, signed the " First Autonomic Pacts " ( Primeros pactos autonómicos in Spanish), in which they agreed to the creation of 17 autonomous communities and two autonomous cities, with
3440-534: The constitution was still being drafted, and self-government seemed likely to be granted only to the "historical nationalities", there was a popular outcry in Andalusia , demanding self-government as well, which led to the creation of a quicker process for that region, which eventually self-identified as a "historical nationality" as well. In the end, the right to self-government was extended to any other region that wanted it. The "slow route" or "slow track", also called
3520-685: The country where the incomes and outcomes of the decentralized bodies (the Autonomous Communities) has grown the most, leading this rank in Europe by 2015 and being fifth among OECD countries in tax devolution (after Canada, Switzerland, the United States and Austria). By means of the State of Autonomies implemented after the Spanish Constitution of 1978, Spain has been quoted to be "remarkable for
3600-476: The demands of the peripheral nationalists. The Prime Minister of Spain , Adolfo Suárez , met with Josep Tarradellas , president of the Generalitat of Catalonia in exile. They agreed to restore the Generalitat and transfer limited powers while the constitution was still being written. Shortly after, the government allowed the creation of "assemblies of members of parliament" made up of deputies and senators of
3680-415: The difference between "nation" and "nationality"; and it does not specify which are the "nationalities" and which are the "regions", or the territories they comprise. Rather than imposing, it enables a process towards a decentralized structure based on the exercise that these "nationalities and regions" would make of the right to self-government that they were granted. As such, the outcome of this exercise
3760-425: The different territories of Spain, so that they could constitute "pre-autonomic regimes" for their regions as well. The Fathers of the Constitution had to strike a balance between the opposing views of Spain—on the one hand, the centralist view inherited from monarchist and nationalist elements of Spanish society, and on the other hand federalism and a pluralistic view of Spain as a "nation of nations"; between
3840-472: The eight provinces, Almería , votes in favour — although the plurality — did not amount to half of the electoral census as required. Yet, in general, the results of the referendum had been clear and unequivocal. After several months of discussion, the then prime minister of Spain, Adolfo Suárez and the leader of the opposition , Felipe González , reached an agreement to resolve the Andalusian issue, whereby
3920-441: The election: Adolfo Su%C3%A1rez Adolfo Suárez González, 1st Duke of Suárez ( Spanish pronunciation: [aˈðolfo ˈswaɾeθ] ; 25 September 1932 – 23 March 2014) was a Spanish lawyer and politician. Suárez was Spain's first democratically elected prime minister since the Second Spanish Republic and a key figure in the country's transition to democracy after the dictatorship of Francisco Franco . When Spain
4000-456: The first democratically elected prime minister of the post-Francoist Spain. Suárez's centrist government instituted further democratic reforms. A new constitution , which recognised Spain as a constitutional monarchy , was approved by a referendum in December 1978. In an effort to address separatist tensions and calls for increased local autonomy, Suárez also negotiated the creation of Spain's autonomous communities . Suárez's coalition won
4080-507: The first-level administrative divisions of Spain , created in accordance with the Spanish Constitution of 1978 , with the aim of guaranteeing limited autonomy to the nationalities and regions that make up Spain. There are 17 autonomous communities and two autonomous cities ( Ceuta and Melilla ) that are collectively known as " autonomies ". The two autonomous cities have the right to become autonomous communities. The autonomous communities exercise their right to self-government within
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#17328835628714160-463: The indissoluble unity of the Spanish Nation, the common and indivisible homeland of all Spaniards; it recognizes and guarantees the right to self-government of the nationalities and regions of which it is composed and the solidarity among them all. The constitution was rather ambiguous on how this was to take place. It does not define, detail, or impose the structure of the state; it does not tell
4240-443: The largest party, winning 168 of the 350 seats in the Congress of Deputies and 119 of the 208 seats in the Senate . As a result, Adolfo Suárez went on to form a minority government, depending on support from Manuel Fraga 's Democratic Coalition , which experienced an electoral decline. The Spanish Cortes Generales were envisaged as an imperfect bicameral system. The Congress of Deputies had greater legislative power than
4320-517: The late 19th century has been shaped by a dialectical struggle between Spanish nationalism and peripheral nationalisms, mostly in Catalonia and the Basque Country, and to a lesser degree in Galicia . In a response to Catalan demands, limited autonomy was granted to the Commonwealth of Catalonia in 1914, only to be abolished in 1925. It was granted again in 1932 during the Second Spanish Republic , when
4400-399: The legislature. The term of the Cortes elected in the 1977 election was not to be continued beyond 15 June 1981 in the event they were not dissolved earlier. An election was required to be held within from 30 to 60 days after the date of expiry of the Cortes Generales , setting the latest possible election date for the Cortes Generales on Friday, 14 August 1981. The prime minister had
4480-458: The limits set forth in the constitution and organic laws known as Statutes of Autonomy , which broadly define the powers that they assume. Each statute sets out the devolved powers ( Spanish : competencia ) for each community; typically those communities with stronger local nationalism have more powers, and this type of devolution has been called asymmetrical which is on the whole seen as advantageous, able to respond to diversity. Despite
4560-417: The other regions, do not contribute to fiscal equalisation across Spain. These two regions or communities are known as "chartered" territories, In all other communities, all taxes are levied and collected by or for the central government and then redistributed among all. The Statutes of Autonomy of the Basque Country and Catalonia were sanctioned by the Spanish Parliament on 18 December 1979. The position of
4640-546: The panic. The 23-F coup attempt ("El Tejerazo") failed as it was opposed by Spain's main newspaper El País (who managed to get a special edition in favor of the constitution issued and distributed on the evening of the coup attempt) and denounced by King Juan Carlos I in a televised address. Meanwhile, promised military support for the coup failed to materialise – with few exceptions, most notably Jaime Milans del Bosch who led pro-coup troops in Valencia. In 1982, Suárez founded
4720-419: The party in government, the Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD), was that only the three "historical nationalities" would assume full powers, while the rest would accede to autonomy via article 143, assuming fewer powers and perhaps not even establishing institutions of government. This was firmly opposed by the representatives of Andalusia , who demanded for their region the maximum level of powers granted to
4800-471: The pre-existing 50 provinces of Spain , a territorial division of the liberal centralizing regime of the 19th century created for purely administrative purposes (it also recognized the municipalities that integrated the provinces). These provinces would serve as the building blocks and constituent parts of the autonomous communities. The constitution stipulated that the following could be constituted as autonomous communities: It also allowed for exceptions to
4880-418: The prerogative to dissolve both chambers at any given time—either jointly or separately—and call a snap election , provided that no motion of no confidence was in process, no state of emergency was in force and that dissolution did not occur before one year had elapsed since the previous one. Additionally, both chambers were to be dissolved, and a new election called, if an investiture process failed to elect
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#17328835628714960-596: The ranks of the Movimiento . In 1965, Suárez was appointed programme director of the state broadcaster Radio y Televisión Española (RTVE). In 1967, he was elected to the Francoist Cortes . In 1968, Suárez was promoted to civil governor and provincial head of the Movimiento in Segovia . In 1969, he was made director general of RTVE. Under this capacity, he became a close friend to future king Prince Juan Carlos . In March 1975, Herrero Tejedor became secretary-general of
5040-470: The recognition of a pluralistic vision of Spanish nationhood. When Franco died in 1975, Spain entered into a phase of transition towards democracy . The most difficult task of the newly democratically elected Cortes Generales (the Spanish Parliament) in 1977 acting as a Constituent Assembly was to transition from a unitary centralized state into a decentralized state in a way that would satisfy
5120-530: The reformists were dismayed by his appointment. Nevertheless, it was noted that due to his age (he turned 7 years old in the year the civil war ended), Suárez was not as strongly associated with the bloody Civil War or the most brutal years of Franco's rule as the older politicians. Within a year of his appointment, Suárez had rapidly introduced reform measures and taken decisive steps in Spain's transition to democracy ( La Transición ). The Political Reform Act , which permitted universal suffrage and established
5200-407: The relevant Electoral Commission within fifteen days of the election call, whereas groupings of electors needed to secure the signature of at least one permille—and, in any case, 500 signatures—of the electorate in the constituencies for which they sought election, disallowing electors from signing for more than one list of candidates. Below is a list of the main parties and coalitions which contested
5280-446: The remaining 248 fixed among the constituencies in proportion to their populations, at a rate of approximately one seat per each 144,500 inhabitants or fraction greater than 70,000. Ceuta and Melilla were allocated the two remaining seats, which were elected using plurality voting . The use of the electoral method resulted in an effective threshold based on the district magnitude and the distribution of votes among candidacies. As
5360-430: The return of transferred powers—is always a possibility. This has been evidenced in the 2000s, at the beginning with a wave of approval of new Statutes of Autonomy for many communities, and more recently with many considering the recentralization of some powers in the wake of the economic and financial crisis of 2008. Nonetheless, Spain is now a decentralized country with a structure unlike any other, similar but not equal to
5440-429: The same illness. She was the mother of two children, Alejandra Romero Suárez (born 1990), herself the current holder of her grandfather's dukedom, and Fernando Romero Suárez (born 1993). Suarez' youngest daughter, María Sonsoles Suárez Illana (born 1967), became a TV news anchor for Antena 3 . From 1992 to 1994 she was married to José María Martínez-Bordiú y Bassó de Roviralta (a nephew of Cristóbal Martínez-Bordiú ,
5520-779: The same institutions of government, but different competences. By 1983, all 17 autonomous communities were constituted: Andalusia , Aragon , Asturias , the Balearic Islands , the Basque Country , the Canary Islands , Cantabria , Castile and León , Castile–La Mancha , Catalonia , the Community of Madrid , Extremadura , Galicia , La Rioja , Navarra , the Region of Murcia and the Valencian Community . The two autonomous cities, Ceuta and Melilla were constituted in 1995. Once
5600-873: The son-in-law of Francisco Franco); the couple was without issue. In 2012 she married the Mozambican musician Paulo Wilson, and they separated in 2017. Suárez's eldest son, Adolfo Suárez Illana, is a politician, lawyer, and is heavily involved with the world of bullfighting and has two sons. Suárez had two more children, his daughter Laura and his son Francisco Javier; both remain unmarried. Autonomous communities of Spain Spanish : comunidad autónoma Aragonese : comunidat autonoma Asturian : comunidá autónoma Basque : autonomia erkidegoa Catalan : comunitat autònoma Galician : comunidade autónoma Occitan : comunautat autonòma The autonomous communities ( Spanish : comunidad autónoma ) are
5680-408: The territorial arrangements, while enshrining in the constitution the right to autonomy or self-government of the "nationalities and regions", through a process of asymmetric devolution of power to the "autonomous communities" that were to be created. The starting point in the territorial organization of Spain was the second article of the constitution, which reads: The Constitution is based on
5760-466: The then prime minister of Spain Felipe González from PSOE and the leader of the opposition, José María Aznar from the newly created People's Party (PP) successor of the People's Alliance party . Through these agreements new powers were transferred, with the reforms to many Statutes of Autonomy of the "slow-route" communities with the aim of equalizing them to the "fast route" communities. In 1995,
5840-439: Was denied secession to be constituted as an autonomous community on its own right. During the second half of the 1980s, the central government seemed reluctant to transfer all powers to the "slow route" communities. After the five years set up by the constitution, all "slow route" communities demanded the maximum transfer guaranteed by the constitution. This led to what has been called the "second autonomic pacts" of 1992, between
5920-449: Was dubbed as café para todos , "coffee for all". This agreement was eventually put into writing in July 1981 in what has been called the "first autonomic pacts". These "autonomic pacts" filled in the gap left by the open character of the constitution. Among other things: In the end, 17 autonomous communities were created: Special provisions were made for the Valencian Community and
6000-469: Was not predictable and its construction was deliberately open-ended; the constitution only created a process for an eventual devolution , but it was voluntary in nature: the "nationalities and regions" themselves had the option of choosing to attain self-government or not. In order to exercise this right, the constitution established an open process whereby the "nationalities and regions" could be constituted as "autonomous communities". First, it recognized
6080-616: Was raised into the Spanish nobility by King Juan Carlos of Spain and given the hereditary title of "Duque de Suárez" ( Duke of Suárez ), together with the title Grande de España (English: Grandee of Spain) following his resignation as Prime Minister and in recognition of his role in the transition to democracy . Suárez was awarded the Príncipe de Asturias a la Concordia in September 1996 for his role in Spain's early democracy. On 8 June 2007, during
6160-473: Was still an autocratic regime, he was appointed prime minister by King Juan Carlos in 1976, hoping that his government could bring about democracy. At the time of his appointment, he was not a well-known figure, making many political forces skeptical of his government. However, he oversaw the end of the Francoist Cortes , and the legalisation of all political parties (including the Communist Party of Spain ,
6240-517: Was suffering from Alzheimer's disease . The announcement followed speculation about Suárez's health in the Spanish media. On 21 March 2014, his son announced that his death from neurological deterioration was imminent. Suárez then died as a result of a respiratory infection on 23 March 2014 in a clinic in Madrid. Suarez was given a state funeral and was buried in the cloister of Ávila Cathedral . Pope Francis shared his condolences, saying: "In fraternal suffrage with you all, I make fervent prayers to
6320-414: Was sympathetic to a federal system. In the end, the constitution, published and ratified in 1978, found a balance in recognizing the existence of "nationalities and regions" in Spain, within the "indissoluble unity of the Spanish nation". In order to manage the tensions present in the Spanish transition to democracy, the drafters of the current Spanish constitution avoided giving labels such as 'federal' to
6400-410: Was vigorously enforced as a way of preserving the "unity of the Spanish nation". Peripheral nationalism, along with communism and atheism, were regarded by his regime as the main threats. His attempts to fight separatism with heavy-handed but sporadic repression, and his often severe suppression of language and regional identities backfired: the demands for democracy became intertwined with demands for
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